Las Vegas Man Sentenced To 18 Years In Prison For Distribution Of Child Pornography

Las Vegas, Nevada - A Las Vegas man who uploaded child pornography to an instant messaging site was sentenced to 18 years and one month in federal prison to be followed by a lifetime term of supervised release, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas A. Trutanich for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Aaron C. Rouse for the FBI’s Las Vegas Division.

Steven Wilson, 35, of Las Vegas, previously pleaded guilty to distribution of child pornography and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kent J. Dawson.

In November 2016, Wilson uploaded seven images of child pornography to the Yahoo! messenger application. Law enforcement determined the images were uploaded at an apartment belonging to Wilson. A search warrant was executed at his residence. He admitted to law enforcement that he possessed and distributed child pornography in chat rooms, as well as through Yahoo! messenger. A forensic examination of devices belonging to Wilson revealed over 750 images and videos of child pornography, including 44 images and videos depicting infants and toddlers and numerous images depicting violence.

During the investigation, a minor victim reported that Wilson had sexually abused her. Wilson subsequently was charged with and pleaded guilty in Clark County District Court to one count of attempted sexual assault. On January 29, 2019, Wilson was sentenced in connection with that case to five to 15 years in prison.

The case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Burton prosecuted the case.

If you have information regarding possible child sexual exploitation, make a report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) by calling the 24-hour hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) or by making a report at www.cybertipline.com.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood and for information about internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.